From the team
At Lois Bridges our team consists of specialised practitioners in eating disorders from psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, medical, nursing, social work, family therapy and dietetic fields. Our wealth of knowledge and understanding in treating this illness is distinct upon arrival at Lois Bridges.
Full recovery from an Eating Disorder is possible with the correct support and treatment. All we need from you is honesty and a willingness to open yourself to what recovery has to offer.
Our team are dedicated to crossing these difficult bridges with you.
Dr Geoffrey O’Donoghue M.B., B.CH., B.A.O., DCH, Dobs, MRCPsych
Our Clinical Director Dr Geoffrey O Donoghue Qualified in Medicine at UCD in 1979. He Trained in Psychiatry with the Eastern Health Board Dublin (1983-1987) and completed his Higher Professional Training in Psychiatry at Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals(1987-1992).He was a Research Fellow in Eating Disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry in 1991. Dr O Donoghue also is a Chief Psychiatrist with the Health Service Executive (1992 -2009) based in the Southern Region. Dr O’Donoghue has trained as a Cognitive Analytic Therapist and has extensive experience working with Clients suffering with Eating Disorders. He has worked under/with international experts in the field such as Professor Gerald Russell and Professor Janet Treasure. He has supervised the inpatient treatment unit at the Maudsley /Bethlem Royal hospital and has wide experience working with outpatients. He has published work in peer Journals in relation to eating disorders in pregnancy and has presented papers on aspects of Eating Disorders in children.
Teresa Moorhead
Our Director of Clinical Services Teresa Moorhead comes from a Psychiatric Nursing background. A Graduate from NUI Galway, Teresa has been working with Eating Disorder clients for the last 10 years. She is a Specialist Practitioner in Eating Disorders having completed a Diploma in Eating Disorder Practitioner Skills from the Eating Disorder Resource Centre of Ireland 5 years ago. Teresa has also completed a Diploma in Group Therapy and has devised many of the Group Sessions here at Lois Bridges. She has worked on two Eating Disorder Treatment Programmes both in St Patricks Hospital and St John Of Gods and has a wealth of knowledge as to what is needed to make our programme here at Lois Bridges work. Teresa has also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapy from UCD and has a keen interest in Psychoanalysis. She is understanding, friendly, approachable, enthusiastic and passionate in helping people through their recovery.
Maureen Treanor
Maureen Treanor, is the founder of Martello Counselling and Therapy Portmarnock, she has many years experience of working therapeutically with people. She holds an honours degree in Psychology and Theology, Post graduate Diplomas in Systemic Family Therapy and Supervisory Practice. Her training includes Montessori Education, Adult Education and Community Development, Group Facilitation, Imago Relationship Therapy and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. She has worked in a variety of settings in both the public and private sector. She was a staff therapist at Clanwilliam Institute, A Family Therapist in Crinan Youth Project and an Alcohol and Addiction Counsellor in Stanhope Centre. Maureen is a registered member of the following professional organisations, Irish Counsel of Psychotherapy ICP, Family Therapy Association of Ireland FTAI and Irish Association of Alcohol and Addiction Counsellors IAAAC., Certified Imago Relationship Therapist.
Harriette Lynch
Harriette Lynch is our Consultant Dietician here at Lois Bridges.Having Completed her BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Chester , Harriette is a Registered Dietitian with the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute and is also a Level 3 Registered Exercise Professional.In 2004 Harriette founded her own health and wellbeing company Lynch Training Systems, this has been developed into, */health/*/pro/, which is now a successful nutrition and exercise consultancy and a platform for non-profit health promotion initiatives in the greater Dublin area. Through her academic and professional experience Harriette is a highly skilled therapist offering a caring, non-judgemental approach that is focused on achieving long-term dietary change through empowerment and positive reinforcement. She takes a holistic approach to dietary management, thoroughly examining all factors that may impact on an individuals' capacity to meet their nutritional needs and devises practical solutions that can be implemented in home, work and social settings.
Claire Galligan
Claire Galligan is a Psychotherapist who specialises in a wide variety of family matters. She graduated from the Mater Hospital with a Masters in Family and Individual Therapy. She is an expert in her field in Counselling for Couples, families and individuals experiencing a variety of difficulties. She has worked as a therapist in the Clanwilliam Institute and was the Director of Family therapy centre in Drogheda. Presently Claire operates two clinics in Dublin for Family Therapy. Claire holds the European Certificate in Psychotherapy which means she is recognised to practice anywhere in Europe and is a member of the Family Therapy Association of Ireland FTAI, the Irish Council of Psychotherapy and the European Council of Psychotherapy.
Joan O Connell
Joan O Connell is a fully accredited Psychotherapist & Counsellor and a member of the IACP. She trained in the Tivoli Institute and worked with Aware for a number of years as a telephone counsellor. She presently works with a Family Resource Centre and in private practice in the Clontarf area. Joans training includes a variety of approaches which uses cognitive behavioural therapy and conscious and unconscious strategies, intended to help you identify and understand beliefs and behaviours about yourself that have been causing you distress and making you unhappy. She provides a safe, confidential and accepting environment that allows you to explore your present distress. Joan works with clients in the hope that they will gain insight and make changes in your life, thus gaining a beneficial and fruitful experience of therapy.
Aileen Garrihy
Aileen Garrihy is a Cognitive Analytic Therapist having trained in the UK with the British Association of CAT. She originally trained as an Occupational Therapist in Trinity College Dublin and worked with people experiencing a broad range of mental health difficulties. In this time she found that she especially enjoyed working with people with eating disorders but felt that psychotherapy training was necessary to help her understand this complex illness better. CAT is a collaborative approach between therapist and client that seeks to understand the symptom or eating disorder and find new ways of managing the distress that underlies it in a compassionate non-judgemental way. Aileen is very enthusiastic and holds great hope for her clients in arriving at full recovery from their Eating Disorder.
Mary McCarthy
Mary McCarthy Russell qualified as a therapeutic counselor in 1999, and continued her studies by graduating with a Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy in 2006 with Irish Gestalt Centre. She also trained as a group facilitator with Aisling, an organization working with young people addicted to drugs and alcohol in Ballyragget, Co. Kilkenny. Mary furthered her training in group work with the Irish Gestalt Centre in 2008/9. She also trained in 'The Art of Spiritual Living' in Echart House in Dublin, and in 'Body Process' with Jim Kepner. Mary is accredited with the I.A.H.I.P.Mary believes that in order to be able to be present to the client the therapist must first be present to herself. Having a passion for life and people, Mary 'invites' the clients to explore who they are through psychotherapy and it's through this process that clients can choose what it is they need from the work. Mary creates a safe environment by establishing boundaries so that clients can explore who they are without judgments or agendas. This enables them to choose their own recovery by exploring themselves emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically. Her philosophy is that each client is unique and has the answers for their own lives. There are times when we each need support in doing this and Lois Bridges offers such support to clients. Mary is also in supervised private practice in Dublin/Kildare.
Mary O’ Donnell
Mary O’ Donnell has an M.A. hons. in Creative Arts Psycho Therapy ( Dramatherapy) from National University of Ireland, Maynooth. She is a therapist to groups and individuals in clinical and social community settings and also in private practice. She has considerable experienced working with adults, young people and children who have a wide range of abilities and special needs. Mary is convinced of the benefit of creativity to enhance the therapeutic process by providing a non-verbal medium empowering the individual to become aware, take action and create healthy habits. She is a member of IACAT (Irish association of creative arts therapists). She provides lectures in UCD and NUI Maynooth on the use of creative bodywork in therapy and education with special needs. She is a registered teacher of RAD and Laban for movement.She obtained a Diploma in Life and Career Coaching as part of her ongoing development as a person and therapist. Her diploma as a clinical supervisor enables her to support other therapists in their work. Through her ongoing studies and research she continues to draw from a wide base of theoretical knowledge to enhance her profession in service to others.
Ian Parker
Ian Parker is a Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) Practitioner and Supervisor accredited with the British Association of CAT (ACAT). He originally trained and worked as a Psychiatric Nurse in the UK, where he also successfully completed a Masters degree in Mental Health Studies at Guy’s Hospital in London. His Masters degree included modules in Psychiatry, Research and CAT. Upon moving to Ireland he was involved in initiating the first CAT training here. He has worked as a Community Mental Health Nurse for nearly twenty years and currently combines this with working as a Therapist for adults who have experienced abuse in childhood and more recently as a therapist for clients with eating disorders. He has a particular interest in the intergenerational origins of trauma and in assisting clients to develop more compassionate ways of relating to themselves and others
Nikki Hennessy:
Nikki Hennessy is an accredited Counsellor with the IACP She is a graduate of NUI Maynooth and completed a 3-Year Diploma Course with Northside Counselling Services. She also holds a Certificate in Drugs Counselling and Intervention Skills from Merchants Quay / UCD. Nikki holds a Diploma in Practitioner Skills for Eating Disorders and is currently facilitating a Focus Group at Lois Bridges helping clients explore the issues that are currently maintaining their eating disorders. Nikki started off her counselling career six years ago working in the area of trauma counselling. Her first role was with Console, an organisation set up to support bereaved families affected by suicide. During her time at Console she developed the Outreach Counselling & Information Programme for the Finglas community. She worked closely with the Finglas Suicide Network which involved campaigning to promote suicide awareness. Nikki was Console's representative on the Mental Health Awareness Campaign Steering Group which was setup by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) & the HSE. Following on from Console, Nikki worked in the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre supporting victims of rape, child sexual abuse and sexual harassment. She also worked as an Outreach Counsellor providing counselling to Tallaght Rehabilitation Project (T.R.P.), which is the Dublin Rape Crisis Centres first pilot programme in conjunction with an addiction centre. Nikki's style of counselling helps her clients explore their perception, behaviour patterns, values and their outlook on life and their environment. In working with her clients she uses models which are person centred and solution focused. She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) during her sessions. Nikki is highly attuned to the emotional needs of her clients and runs a successful private practice in Swords, Co. Dublin.
Corry De Jongh:
Corry De Jongh began her career as a Clinical Psychologist in Holland. After moving to Ireland she specialised in Systemic Family Therapy. She has worked for more than 30 years in various mental health settings, with the HSE and in partnership with the Clanwilliam Institute . Her clients, from all kinds of backgrounds, present with a wide variety of mental health concerns. Corry works with individuals, couples, parents, families and mental health professionals for consultation and therapy. Since becoming a supervisor Corry has trained many professionals to become family therapists at Masters level and has provided consultation to therapy teams all over Ireland. With a special interest in Eating Disorders, Corry joined Lois Bridges in October 2010 to assist families and to provide supervision to the therapy team. Corry is registered with FTAI , EAP, ICP, and PSI. As a Supervisor she is registered with FTAI.
Dr Paddy Greer:
Dr Paddy Greer trained initially as a primary school teacher; after completing his primary degree in biochemistry and Higher Diploma in Education he registered for his first PhD in tissue biochemistry. Having lectured in biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, food chemistry and nutrition, Paddy undertook his second PhD in education, specialising in student cognitive and language development. During this time he was seconded for a short period as Head of Development, supporting start-up companies in the North East. Subsequently he lectured in community education, sociology and related subjects. He was seconded for a time by the Department of Foreign Affairs to head up a comprehensive international survey on Life Long Learning. Later he was invited by the Council of Europe as an independent expert in promoting participatory democracy in the post-conflict Balkans. Paddy's primary interest has always been the welfare of people. As a consequence, and in light of his previous work in post-war Bosnia, he trained as a Gestalt Psychotherapist with the Irish Gestalt Centre and works in private practice. Paddy brings a wealth of experience and a broad spectrum of inventiveness to Lois Bridges, where he works as a Gestalt Psychotherapy Group facilitator. His interests, both personal and professional, remain diverse and eclectic. During his sessions Paddy invites the clients to become aware of their core process. In so doing, he relies on the Gestalt Contact Cycle and focuses particularly on the clients habitual interruptions to complete and fulfilling contact. It is Paddys belief that this awareness brings choice and change. During group work within this modality, client issues arise; clients are then encouraged to bring these to their individual therapy sessions.
Geraldine Richardson
Geraldine Richardson is a Systemic Family Psychotherapist. Family therapists support family members to express and explore difficult thoughts and emotions safely, and to understand and appreciate each others experiences with the aim to enhance family strengths. She obtained a Masters in Systemic Psychotherapy at the Mater Misercordiae University Hospital Psychotherapy Dept as affiliated to the University College Dublin School of Medicine, and is currently completing a Doctorate at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Clinic, London/ East London University with the aim to further specialise in the Dialogical approach to Systemic Psychotherapy. She has further training in Narrative Therapy. She has worked in the mental health field for fifteen years in a variety of clinical settings and has experience in working with individuals, couples, families and team consultations. Geraldine has a special interest in understanding the nature of early relationships and how they manifest in the understanding of the self, in the family system and in later life relationships.